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Eighteen Students Complete Reform Synagogue’s 10th Grade Hebrew High Program
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., May 30, 2018 – Eighteen students from Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI), the Reform synagogue in South Orange, celebrated their confirmation during the Friday evening service on May 18, 2018. The tenth-graders have completed a year of study with synagogue clergy members that focused on various aspects of Jewish identity, preparing them to become active members of the Jewish community. The curriculum includes modules on developing a personal theology, explorations of the Jewish immigrant identity and contemporary obligations to follow the commandment to “care for the stranger in our midst.” The teens also enjoyed a field trip to New York City’s Lower East Side to explore the history of Jewish immigration, and Jewish food and culture.
The students prepared and led a meaningful service for the holiday of Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), an ancient festival that has its roots in agriculture but also celebrates the receiving of the Torah. During the service, they shared their personal interpretations of prayers and their experiences over the course of the year as confirmation students. Many of them also read from the Torah. The celebration was enjoyed by family, friends and the greater TSTI community.
The 2018 confirmands are, front row (l. to r., flanked by Cantor Joan Finn and Rabbi Alexandra Klein): Darcy Wollard and Orlie White of Maplewood, Carly Lerman and Alexa Stephan of South Orange, and Eliana Mischel, Grace Bratter and Leah Fergus of Maplewood; middle row (with Rabbi Daniel Cohen at far right): Jakob Slade of South Orange, Ethan Halperin of Maplewood, Abigail Ratner and Daniella Rothstein of South Orange and Benjamin Gertner of Maplewood; Top row: Daniel Teitelabum, Jack Parry, Jillian Fishback and Olivia Hirsch of South Orange, Abby Strugger of Maplewood and Jonathan Cutler of South Orange.
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI), located at 432 Scotland Road in South Orange, offers lifelong learning and creative, enriching programs for all members, from preschoolers and teens to older adults. TSTI’s members live in Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Short Hills, Millburn, Livingston and surrounding areas. For more information, please visit www.tsti.org.
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About Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
432 Scotland Road, South Orange, NJ 07079
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Caryn Starr-Gates
Caryl Communications
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